1. Field of the Invention
The present invention involves an electronic device including a combination of a electronic visual display in or on a housing, electronic circuitry in the housing, and at least one analog sensor comprising a finger or thumb depressible surface with associated analog pressure-sensitive element. The analog pressure-sensitive element is for output of a signal of variable value utilized by the circuitry to control or manipulate one or more functions of the electronic device. The resultant control manipulation from the analog sensor is in some manner indicated or displayed on the display at least at the time the user is pressing the depressible surface, thereby the human user is provided data related to a new state or setting brought about, or in the process of being brought about, by manipulating the variable value of the analog sensor through controlled varied amounts of finger pressure applied to the depressible surface of the analog sensor. Based upon the feedback on the display, the user may terminate, increase or decrease the finger pressure on the depressible surface of the analog sensor.
2. Brief Description of Related Prior Art
Displays, housings, electronics and analog output buttons do exist in the prior art. The present invention, however, does not exist in the prior art and is of significant and substantial value as will become fully appreciated with continued reading.
The present invention, at least from one viewpoint, is an electronic device, which may take many forms as herein disclosed, but all including a combination of a electronic visual display in or on a housing, electronic circuitry in the housing, and including at least one human user depressible surface with associated analog pressure-sensitive element for output of a signal of variable value utilized by the circuitry to control or manipulate a function(s) of the device. The at least one analog pressure-sensitive element receives pressure applied by a user""s finger (the word finger or fingers or digit can be herein used to include the thumb) to the depressible surface, varied pressure applied by the user determines varied value of the signal, and this allows the user to select rates of change, the rate of change in some way being displayed on the display to allow the user to choose more or less pressure, or to terminate pressure on the finger depressible surface. The resultant control manipulation from the analog variable value is in some manner indicated or made visually detectable as feedback on the display at least at the time the analog sensor is being depressed, and this to allow the intelligent application of finger pressure by the user to the analog sensor. Some examples of functions which can be manipulated, controlled or changed, and at variable rates dependant upon user applied pressure, include menus or lists displayed on telephones, television program menus and the like, numeric settings such as related to time, temperature or number of units, such as number of copies to be made by a photocopy machine for example. Some additional examples of electronic devices described in accordance with the invention include desktop displays, hand-held game systems, personal digital assistants (PDA), electronic books, wireless web browsers, time display clocks/watches, cooking ovens, pagers, remote controller such as used with TVs stereos, etc., and coffee makers all with displays. The displays can be CRT, non-CRT, LCD, LED or any other suitable type and in many applications are seven-element numeric displays such as are commonly used to display number of units or time.
An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic device including a combination of an electronic visual display in or on a housing, electronic circuitry in the housing, and at least one analog sensor comprising a finger or thumb depressible surface with associated analog pressure-sensitive element for output of a signal of variable value utilized by the circuitry to manipulate one or more functions of the electronic device at varied rates, the manipulation in some manner indicated on the display at least at the time the user is pressing the depressible surface, thereby the human user is provided data allowing the intelligent increase, decrease or termination of the finger pressure to effect a rate of change.